


Carry Your Taste

by Perpetual Motion (perpetfic)



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Barisi - Freeform, Barisi Wishlist Fill, Blowjobs, Carmen has a small but important role, Enthusiastic Consent, Filth, M/M, Porn with Feelings, Rimming, There's multiple conversations about it, insisent grabby hands that are not non-con, mild jealousy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-10
Updated: 2018-03-04
Packaged: 2019-03-16 07:12:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13631283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/perpetfic/pseuds/Perpetual%20Motion
Summary: Sonny's usual plans for his heat don't work out, and Rafael has to be certain he's doing the right thing before he decides if he can do Sonny. (I am almost sorry for that.)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I appreciate Toni letting me scream ideas at her.

"Is Carisi useful to you today?" Rafael asks Liv as they have lunch.

"We're slow," Liv replies, smiling at Rafael's wording. "You need a backup lawyer?"

"The motions in the Zbawski case are piling up. The defense is trying to drown me in bullshit. I could use someone to sort through and find anything useful. I'd put Carmen on it, but she's tackling paperwork on two other cases with the same problem."

"Did the defense attorneys get together and decide it's 'Screw Barba' week?"

Rafael smiles drily. "I'm not asking."

"I'll send Carisi after lunch."

"Appreciate it."

*

Rafael is reviewing the first draft of an opening statement when Sonny shows up at one-thirty. "Those are yours," Rafael says, pointing to the stacks of motions on the coffee table without looking up. 

Sonny whistles lowly as he takes in the piles. "Wow. They're not fucking around with their fucking around."

Rafael snorts and looks up from his notes. "I've read the briefs. It's mostly bullshit, but I want to be certain I'm right."

"Of course." Sonny holds out the cup of coffee in his left hand, keeping the one in his right for himself. "Grabbed these from that cart on the corner. They were making it fresh when I was walking by."

"Thanks," Rafael says. He stands to reach for the cup, and when Sonny hands it over, Rafael picks up the edge of his pre-heat scent. He's smelled it before; they've been working together for three years now. It's fresh and sharp, with a cinnamon-sort of taste at the end. Rafael makes a point not to breathe in too deep, though he wants to, badly. Sonny knows what an Alpha tasting looks like, and Rafael doesn't want to make him uncomfortable, though he knows that after three years of work-and-friendship, Sonny probably won't care. It's the principle of the thing. Sonny can't help that he's sending out signals anymore than Rafael can help knotting. Putting any focus on it is just rude.

"You've got me all the rest of the day," Sonny says as he settles himself on the sofa. "And really most of the night if you need me. I don't have plans, but I'm off tomorrow and the day after."

"That's fine. I'm sure there's a junior DA in the building I could scare into helping if I need it once you're done." Rafael watches the pleased grin go across Sonny's face, and he takes a drink of his coffee to distract his senses from the small uptick in Sonny's scent. 

They work together in quiet. Sonny's armed with a highlighter, a pen, and post-its, and Rafael can glance up from his own work and chart his progress as the stacks change size and get annotated. Every now and again, Sonny's scent wafts across the room, and Rafael fights the urge to lick his lips. He's attracted to Sonny, and he's almost sure Sonny's attracted to him. They've flirted through case law conversations and discussing favorite movies. But Sonny's never asked Rafael to be with him during a heat or otherwise, and Rafael doesn't want to bring it up first. Their friendship is satisfying, and Rafael knows Sonny has someone who helps him through heats. His name is Ken. Sonny has mentioned he's a friend who's also single, so they have an arrangement. That's all Rafael knows.

It's hours later when Sonny drops a motion onto the couch beside him, reaches his arms up, and stretches until his back pops. "Hey, it's almost dinner time. Want to grab something?"

Rafael leans back in his chair and stretches himself. "I'm right on the edge of getting this opening perfected. I'm afraid to leave the room."

"I'll run down to the deli," Sonny says. "Need to make a quick call anyway." He stands and stretches again, pushing himself onto his toes. Rafael takes in the long line of him and doesn't look away when Sonny catches him looking. "Corned beef?" Sonny asks. He's wearing an easy grin, so no harm done. Rafael appreciates that Sonny likes being appreciated.

"Yeah. And whatever salad doesn't look sad."

"No promises," Sonny replies, and Rafael grins in agreement as Sonny leaves. 

A few minutes later, Rafael grins in excitement. He's found the hole in his opening statement. He marks the current draft and drops his pen on his desk, standing up for the first time in hours and rocking back on his heels as he looks down at his work. He's got it. The new draft will come quick, and then he can help Sonny finish off the motions. They might both be out of here by midnight. 

Rafael turns from his desk and looks out the windows, trying to spot Sonny's loping walk back from the deli. Even several floors up, he's easy to spot. A lean line of navy suit and lightweight, gray jacket. He's got a large bag from the deli balanced in one arm, and Rafael watches a few Alphas in the street turn and briefly track the scent Sonny is undoubtedly trailing out behind him. There's a possessive yank in Rafael's guts, but he pushes it down easily. Sonny's not his to claim, and Alphas look all the time. There's no danger down on the street that Rafael can see, and Sonny can more than take care of himself. 

He loses track of Sonny when the man steps into the shadow of the courthouse. Rafael turns to the conference table and clears a space for their dinner. With his opening statement fixed now, they can sit and talk a bit, have a real break. It'll be nice to catch up. They really haven't seen each other in the last couple of weeks. 

Sonny walks back into the office looking frustrated. "Can you get this unpacked? I gotta do a couple things real quick." He holds out the bag.

"Everything okay?" Rafael asks as he takes the bag.

Sonny shakes his head, and his scent floods the room for a moment, riding the wave of his frustration. "Ken had to cancel. His mom fell off the front steps and broke her leg. I just need to call a couple of people, see if they can come over instead."

"Coffee?" Rafael asks. "I can make a fresh pot."

"Yeah, that sounds good. Thanks." 

Sonny turns on his heel and walks back into the hall, closing the office door behind him. It keeps any new scent from leeching in, but the wave from before still lingers. Rafael instinctually takes a deep breath as he gets the coffee set up. With so much scent in the room, there's no way to stop himself. The cinnamon-like flavor is sharper on the roof of Rafael's mouth than it is in the air, and the freshness has a hint of something tangy, like a just-squeezed lemon. Rafael rolls his tongue in his mouth like he's trying a good wine and tastes a dark undertone of especially potent vanilla. It all reminds him of a perfectly balanced, homemade dessert, and oh, if that isn't just the right thing for Sonny 'I-made-a-whole-double-layer-cake-last-night' Carisi. 

The door opens, and Sonny walks back in. His scent is thicker now, the frustration clearly having gone up. He waves his phone at Rafael then tosses it on the conference table. "Looks like I'm on my own tomorrow." He huffs a sigh and flops into a chair. 

"You know half the city. I can't believe they all turned you down so fast," Rafael replies.

Sonny gives a dry laugh, but he grins a little. "You think so little of my charms. I didn't call the entire half of the city. Just the ones I trust going to bed with."

"Is the list that much smaller?" Rafael asks with a grin as he takes his own seat.

"Ha, ha," Sonny replies. He take his sandwich when Rafael holds it out. His scent fades slightly as his mood shifts. "The people I'm with during heat, we've all sort of had this agreement for a long time. As long as we're single and can help each other, we will. The last few years, the list has gotten a lot shorter."

"Full matings?" Rafael guesses.

"Yup. And I'm nothing but happy for the guys who got themselves a mate, but it's shrunk our circle by a lot, and with Ken helping his mom, I only had three other options. One's out of the country, and the other two have apparently recently started dating."

"Nice of them to let you know."

Sonny waves away Rafael's sarcasm. "It's really okay. I'm happy for them. And it's rare Ken cancels on me, so it's not like anyone could have expected to be needed as backup."

Rafael opens the plastic container holding his salad and mixes the greens with his fork. The earthy scent of the greens doesn't hide a thing when Sonny's scent washes through the room again. 

"And now I'm scenting like a fucking teenager," Sonny says, groaning. "Sorry. I'm not trying to do it."

"I know how it works," Rafael says, giving him a reassuring smile. "It's a good scent," he adds. 

Sonny looks a little flustered, the tips of his ears pinking up. "Thanks. I...uh...usually it stays pretty mellow before the heat goes full-on, you know? I don't really know the last time anyone got a full hit of it outside of Ken." Sonny thinks for a moment. "Oh, I remember! It was Rollins. She was pissed. She thought I had food."

Rafael laughs. "When was this?"

"Couple of months ago. I was supposed to be off the whole day, but right before end of shift the day before, we caught a case, so I ended up working closer to go-time than I usually do."

Rafael hadn't been there for that, and he is simultaneously grateful and disappointed. He could have had this scent surrounding him two months ago. The thought pushes at his ribs a little, and before he can think twice, he opens his mouth and says, "Do you need help tomorrow?"

"Hrm?" Sonny asks, looking up from where he's finally unwrapped his sandwich.

"WIth the heat. Can I do anything?" Rafael keeps his gaze steady on Sonny's face while Sonny stares at him with disbelief.

"Are you--um." Sonny blinks a few times. "Um. No. I mean, I appreciate it, but I've got things to use. I don't want to make it weird between us."

It wouldn't be, Rafael thinks, but he holds it back. Sonny's turned him down. That's that. "Sure. But that offer was for any errands or anything you might need, too. If you run out of milk, you can text me." 

Sonny's whole body shifts into a sudden realization. "Oh. Yeah. I might. Thanks. I didn't even think about that. Ken usually tackles it all."

"Well, that's his job," Rafael replies.

Sonny grins. "Are you secretly a traditional, Rafael? Big, strong Alpha taking care of his tired Omega?"

Rafael shakes his head. "I think it's pretty clear I have no problem letting Betas and Omegas run into danger," he pauses while Sonny laughs, accepting another round in their ongoing joke that he and Rollins are the most danger-prone people in the whole of the NYPD, "but I think when it comes to heat, the Alpha is absolutely the one who should be taking care of the Omega. You're the one who's lucky you can walk straight when the heat passes." 

Something flickers in Sonny's eyes. He swallows hard. His scent blooms again. Rafael isn't sure what's going on. "Yeah." Sonny says quietly. "I can agree with that." He stares down at his sandwich and doesn't look up again until he's eaten half of it. Rafael leaves him to it, wondering what's just happened but knowing it's not the time to ask. 

"So, I got through most of those motions," Sonny says finally. "Good news is, I'd say ninety percent of them are bullshit, and I'm pretty sure what's left is gonna be more bullshit that I can easily toss aside before I head out tonight."

"What's the bad news?"

"Some scared junior DA is gonna be stuck in the stacks looking up some obscure fucking case law while I'm gone. You're not gonna have anyone to yell at in person unless you go to the basement."

"You greatly underestimate the number of scared junior DAs I have at my disposal," Rafael replies, and Sonny's laugh resets the room to put them back into their comfortable companionship. 

*

"Okay, that's it," Sonny announces three hours later. He tosses the final motion into the very tall 'bullshit' stack and stands. "Come on, you too."

"I'm fine," Rafael replies. He's typing on his opening statement, working from the outline he wrote out neatly in longhand after dinner. 

"Nope. Now." Sonny glances at his watch. "It's nine. I know you've been here since six."

"Seven."

"Who cares. Up." Sonny makes an 'up' motion with his hands. "If you don't leave with me, Carmen's gonna find you passed out at your desk, and I'm gonna get a bunch of angry texts I won't be able to deal with right away."

Rafael gives Sonny a sharp look. "Carmen angry texts you?"

"Not like angry-angry. But if she knows I was with you after hours, she gives me some shit about leaving you alone to your terrible instincts."

"I feel weirdly objectified," Rafael says, but he saves his opening statement and stands from his chair. "Any other texts you get from my staff that I should know about?"

"I get baby pictures," Sonny answers with a grin. "And there's a group chat about case law." 

"You're kidding."

"Nope. You wanna see?" Sonny holds up his phone. 

"Some other night," Rafael says. "I definitely want to see who's in that group chat. There's a couple of new DAs who seemed to have gotten their shit together much faster than usual."

"Remind me next week. It's literally all law talk, so there's no secrets or anything." 

"Okay." Rafael slips on his jacket and follows Sonny from his office, locking the door behind him. They walk to the elevator, and Sonny's scent rises up as the doors close. "It's okay," Rafael says before Sonny can apologize. "You're close to your heat. I'm an Alpha. This is a very small room." 

Sonny's flush doesn't fade, but his face relaxes. "Thanks. It's been haywire tonight. I don't usually get stressed beforehand because it's so routine. I'm just ready to be at home dealing with it."

Rafael's Alpha instinct burns bright at the mere thought. It's a sting in his belly and the sensation of his blood pumping hot through his body. He makes sure to keep a step ahead of Sonny when they get off the elevator so that Sonny's scent dissipates behind him. 

"How are you getting home?" Rafael asks as they walk down the courthouse steps. The brisk air helps clear his head, drops his Alpha instinct to a simmer that's nearly pleasant. 

"Subway," Sonny replies. 

"I'll come with."

"You don't--"

"Your scent is getting heavier," Rafael interrupts. "It's prime teenagers-on-the-subway time. You don't need to talk down an Alpha teenager who has more hormones than sense while he humps your leg." 

"You're exaggerating," Sonny replies. "But if it will help the big, traditional Alpha feel better, who am I to say no?"

The Alpha instinct sharpens, and Rafael lets it roll through him. Sonny shifts his weight so he's on his back foot, a bit wary but not fully scared. "Sorry," Rafael says.

"No, it's not...I trust you," Sonny says, leaning forward. "Um. I just haven't ever smelled you. It's...paper and spices and..." Sonny licks his lips, and Rafael's instinct presses hard at his brain. "It's not a flavor, exactly," Sonny continues. "More of a texture. Like silk." Sonny smiles at Rafael. "I like it."

Rafael feels like he's fourteen again, dropping his scent at the first sign of vague interest. "I really didn't mean to do that."

"Like you said, I'm close to my heat," Sonny replies with a shrug. "You can't help dropping scent any more than I can right now. Come on, let's go stink up a subway car."

Sonny's casual acceptance makes Rafael laugh and relax. He takes a deep breath, enjoying the way the lemon hint of Sonny plays into the silk feeling of his own scent. It's like a good custard, he thinks. 

They get on the subway and stand side-by-side, happy to stretch their legs a little after a long day. Rafael had been correct about the number of teenagers, and the Alphas are easy to spot. The moment Sonny's on the train, they go a little glassy-eyed, a few of them even open their legs. 

"God, I am so glad I'm not a teenager anymore," Sonny mutters.

Rafael hums in agreement and turns so more of his body is pressed against Sonny. "Remember Catholic school hormones on the train?"

Sonny groans a laugh, and Rafael sees a couple of the young Alphas take notice of the way his body sways with the train. "Oh, my god. Yes. All of us pretending like we couldn't tell who was who. The whole car was like a bad perfume counter."

"Are there good perfume counters?" Rafael asks. 

Sonny laughs again and leans into Rafael. "Do you--"

"Hey."

Sonny and Rafael turn at the same time to take in young man in skinny jeans and a tight, green t-shirt. He's wearing work boots and a backpack, and he's looking at Sonny like he's a late-night snack. 

"No, thanks," Sonny says before the kid can say a word. 

"I'm eighteen," the man says. He flicks a derisive look at Rafael. "And I'm sure I've got way more stamina than this guy. I mean, look at you," his gaze tracks Sonny in a slow, hot promise. "He's batting out of his league."

Rafael's Alpha instinct goes white-hot. Who does this fuck think he is coming over to the two of them when they've clearly chosen each other. What sort of power does he imagine he has besides being able to knot his dick? Rafael shifts to block Sonny from view, but Sonny's moving already, taking one step forward so he's in the man's space, scent bleeding off of him in licking waves.

"You smell that?" Sonny asks the man, leaning down so the kid can almost--but not quite--reach his neck. 

"Yeah." The man tries to grab Sonny, but Sonny catches his arm mid-air and twists it behind his back. "Hey! I'm trying to help you out!"

"You ever smell this scent again," Sonny says, his voice a harsh whisper, "it'll be me arresting you for harassing people. And believe me, your whole Alpha-Alpha bit will _not_ be well-liked where I get you locked up." He lets go of the man's arm and steps back, placing himself so he's half behind Rafael. 

"Alpha-Alpha bit?" Rafael asks quietly as the man glares at them both and moves to change cars. "That's terrible."

"He's gone. I win." Sonny replies, grinning.

Rafael's Alpha instinct is quieter now, but it's still thrumming hard. It tells him to take his Omega home and spoil him for showing strength and power. To reward him for staking a claim. "Good work," Rafael says instead.

*

Rafael walks Sonny to his apartment door, Sonny teasing him all the way from the subway stop about being overprotective. There are very few people out, the neighborhood quiet as it moves towards ten o'clock, but Rafael takes the teasing and makes sure Sonny gets to his door anyway.

"It'd be a step too far to pat you on the head, but I want you to know I considered it," Sonny says. 

Rafael rolls his eyes. "I suppose I'm grateful you only told me you wanted to." 

Sonny unlocks his door and steps inside. "Seriously, thanks. I'll see you in a couple of days."

"Call if you need something," Rafael reminds him. "I can leave whatever outside your door." 

"I will," Sonny says. "Thanks again."

"Goodnight," Rafael replies, and while he walks down the hall a few steps before Sonny closes the door, he doesn't move again until he hears the locks latch. 

His Alpha instinct doesn't know what to do. The Omega is safe, but they're not with him. Rafael takes a deep breath to pull himself together and lets it out slowly as he pushes the down button on the elevator. His instinct doesn't mellow, but he can handle it. Once he gets home, he'll take a shower to get Sonny's scent off of him, and he'll be better. He'll see Sonny in a couple of days, and with his heat passed, Rafael's instinct won't be so sharp to respond. 

*

Rafael goes home, rinses off in the shower, and goes to sleep. He wakes up at six feeling the usual amount of tired after a fourteen hour day, and checks his phone as he starts the water for a proper shower. No missed calls. No texts. Nothing in his email. He sends an email to Carmen saying he'll be in at eight and asking her to pick a junior DA to start pulling case law. 

He showers properly, then shaves, then makes coffee. He checks _The Times_ on his phone as he sits at the table in his robe and considers if he wants to make breakfast or just grab something on the way to the courthouse. As he's opening the fridge to see if he has any usable cheese for an omelette, his phone goes off. 

**Sonny:** Did I wake you?

 **Rafael:** No. Been up since six. Need something? 

There's no answer for a few minutes, and Rafael forgets completely about checking for cheese. He closes the fridge and stares at his phone, waiting for Sonny to text back. 

**Sonny:** This is awkward.

 **Sonny:** But I kind of need help.

Rafael stares at the texts as he shakily types a reply. He doesn't want to presume. Sonny could just be embarrassed he realized how quickly he needed something to eat.

 **Rafael:** I said I'd help. Need me to leave some breakfast?

 **Sonny:** No. 

**Sonny:** Typing's hard. Hold on.

Rafael presses one hand against the countertop while the other keeps his phone in a death grip. He wonders if Sonny's okay. If typing's hard, did he injure himself? He could have slipped in the shower or fallen out of bed. Maybe he--

"Fuck," Rafael breathes when the photo comes through. It's a blurry selfie. Sonny is sweat-soaked with his neck exposed, looking anguished. His nipples are bright pink and his entire chest glistens. Another photo comes through, and Rafael nearly drops his phone. It's Sonny from the waist down. His dick is so hard it's purple and red most of the way down his shaft. There's a dildo in his ass, and Rafael can tell by the way it stretches Sonny that's it's the style with a knotted base.

The phone rings. It's Sonny. Rafael answers before the first ring ends. "I'm here," he says.

There's a long whine and the sound of shuffling, like Sonny is trying to find purchase in his sheets. "It's not working," Sonny pants. "I thought it would work. It's not working." 

"Sonny, what--"

"I need a knot," Sonny whines. "A real knot. It's not _working_ , Rafael."

Rafael's Alpha instinct hits him so hard he stumbles backwards. It wants him to go his needy Omega. Fuck the Omega like he needs. Make him come. Scent him. Mark him. It takes Rafael a handful of breaths to get under control. Sonny whines and moans wordlessly in his ear the entire time. 

"Sonny," Rafael says. " _Sonny_ ," he says again when there's no sign Sonny heard him.

"Need a knot. Need a knot. Need a real knot," Sonny chants breathlessly. "Fuck. I should have said yes to you last night. Should have brought you home and spread my legs. Fuck. Need you to take care of me. Like you said. God, I wanted to say yes then. Fuck. Rafael. It's _not working_."

"I know," Rafael soothes. "I know. Have you tried another toy?"

"I've tried _four_."

Rafael slides to the floor. His knees are simply unusable. "Sonny, you're in heat. You just need--"

Sonny whines, high and angry and frustrated. "There's slick everywhere, and I've been trying for three hours, and my dick hurts so much. Everything hurts so much. I need you to take care of me. I need--I need--"

Three hours. Rafael licks his lips and pushes himself to standing. By law, no Omega in heat can consent after six hours. Before that, consent can vary depending on how each Omega handles their heat. Rafael has three hours before Sonny--legally--cannot give consent. But he doesn't know enough about Sonny's heats to say for certain if he's truly consenting now. 

"I can call someone," Rafael offers. "A service."

"No. No. No. No. No." Each no is accompanied by a wet sound that Rafael forces himself not to picture. Sonny fucking himself on a knotted dildo is too much to handle. "I keep thinking about your smell. Your smell. Your knot. Fuck. Rafael. Please."

This could all be heat-talk. Nothing but babbling. Rafael needs to get off the phone or figure out a way to tell if Sonny is truly asking for him. He thinks while Sonny breathes hard into the phone and murmurs nonsense. The wet sounds get arhythmic in the background.

"I can't come without a real knot," Sonny says. "I keep trying, and I'm almost there, but it's not right. It's not the same. I need a real knot. I need a real Alpha."

Rafael realizes the answer. "Sonny, I need you to give me Ken's number."

"He can't make it," Sonny whines.

"I know," Rafael says soothingly. "I know. But I need to talk to him before I come over. I can't--I won't come near you if I can't be sure you're actually asking for me." 

"I know what I'm asking. I want--"

"I know what you want," Rafael says, letting his instinct loose just enough so it shades his voice. "And I'll give it to you if I can. But I need Ken's number."

Sonny gasps and groans, and Rafael listens to the soft tapping that means Sonny's trying to get to his contacts list. "Okay," Sonny says after a handful of breathless seconds.

"Read it off," Rafael replies, and he writes it on an unopened piece of mail. "Okay. Sonny. I have to call Ken."

"No. Stay with me."

Rafael stares hard at Ken's number. "I promise I'll be there if I can, okay? I promise. But I have to make this call first."

"Need your knot," Sonny whimpers. "God, Rafael, I want to ride your dick and cover you with my slick while you fuck up into me." 

"I'm going, Sonny," is all Rafael can say before he presses too hard to end the call. He forces himself to breathe evenly as he dials Ken's number. He puts the call on speakerphone so he doesn't have to hold the phone in his shaking hands. The call goes to voicemail. Rafael redials. The call goes to voicemail. Rafael redials.

"Hello?" The voice is annoyed. 

"This is Rafael Barba," Rafael says quickly. "I'm a friend of Sonny Carisi. Is this Ken?"

"Yeah. This is Ken. Is Sonny okay?" 

"Ken, look, I don't know if Sonny's mentioned me--"

"Oh, yeah, I know about you," Ken says easily. 

"Okay, good." Rafael takes a deep breath. There's no way to have this conversation easily, so Rafael throws all decorum to the wind. "Sonny's about three hours into his heat, and he's having trouble getting off. I need to know how far into his heat you usually think he is when he becomes unable to consent."

"What?" Ken asks, sounding shocked. 

"You've been helping him through his heats for years," Rafael says. "At what point would you estimate that Sonny can no longer provide informed consent?"

"Okay. Wow," Ken says. "I…um."

"Legally, Sonny absolutely cannot provide consent after six hours in heat, but ability to provide informed consent before then can vary depending--"

"I'm a psychologist, I know," Ken cuts in. "Just let me think."

Rafael stares at the wall while Ken thinks, reminding himself that two or three minutes to get a good answer to the question is worth it when he still has a possible three hours to work with. He can take a cab to Sonny's, offer double the rate for the driver to nearly kill him if it gets him there within a reasonable window. 

"Five hours," Ken answers, breaking Rafael's concentration. "Somewhere between four-and-a-half and five hours. He stops being able to ask for things. His speech gets very simple."

"He was asking for help and speaking in full sentences five minutes ago," Rafael says.

"You said you're Rafael Barba? You're the ADA?"

Rafael grits his teeth so he doesn't yell at the man. "Yes. I've known Sonny for years. His back ups weren't available. I told him to call me if he needed help. He said no to any sexual contact last night but said he would call if he needed anything else. He called me because he can't orgasm, and I want to make sure that he's actually aware of what he's asking before I go over there."

"Okay," Ken says. "I'd say if you can get there in the next half-hour, you're well within a safe zone."

"I'll get him to talk to me before I do anything."

"Do you have a key?" 

"Yes." 

"When did you get it?"

Rafael appreciates Ken's concern, but he can feel his nerves fraying. "Four months ago when he sprained his ankle. He gave me a copy when I went over to keep him company while it was healing. After he recovered, he said I could keep it."

"Okay. I trust you. But if Sonny comes to me after and says you attacked him, I'll believe him."

"Good," Rafael answers.

"All right," Ken responds. "I'm gonna put your number in my phone. Call me if something goes wrong. I'm with my mom, but there's other family who can sit with her if there's an emergency."

"Thank you, Ken." 

Rafael cuts the call after Ken mutters a goodbye. He yanks his robe off as he rushes down the hall. He throws on jeans and a t-shirt, then quickly puts a bag together of pajamas and casual clothes. He slips on a pair of loafers and tosses his jacket over his arm as he dials Carmen and locks his front door. 

"You're going to be late," Carmen answers. She knows Rafael's cell and never gives him the formal greeting.

"Personal emergency," Rafael replies. "I'm out the next two days." He presses the button for the elevator and swallows a sigh when he sees it just missed his floor. "Maybe three."

"Is your mother okay?" Carmen asks. 

"It's not _Mami_ , but thank you for your concern. It's something else." Rafael listens to Carmen type. No doubt she's setting up the mass email explaining his absence. 

"Okay. I'm telling everyone you're out for three days. If you get back a day early, I'll send a new email. No reason to get anyone's hopes up. Your schedule should clear itself once the email goes out. Do you still want me to get someone on the Zbawski motions, and if so, which ones do they need to look at? You said you'd specify when you got here."

"Yes." Rafael steps into the elevator and presses the button for the lobby. "Carisi was helping me with them last night. There's a giant pile that need simple refusals, and the smaller pile needs some case law research. Carisi wrote down the cases."

"I'm familiar with his technique," Carmen says. It's polite with a hint of humor. "I'll get someone assigned to it by lunch. Will you be checking your email or taking calls?"

"Not likely." 

There's the barest pause at that. The answer is usually yes. "I'll make a note," Carmen says. "Anything else?"

Rafael thinks as the elevator doors open in the lobby. There is one more thing Carmen can do to make things much easier for Rafael, and he takes a moment to decide if it's a step too far. They've helped each other out on a personal level before, but this is different. Carmen will pick up the implication without hesitation. "I need a very personal favor. If you don't want to take care of it, I can make another call."

"You've written a note to my doctor to describe my endometriosis symptoms. I think I can handle it," Carmen replies after a moment's thought, having picked up on Rafael's tone.

"I need groceries delivered to Carisi's apartment. Boxed. Outside the door. No knocking. Enough food for a few days and enough insulation that the cold things will stay that way for a few hours at least."

The pause is longer this time. Rafael walks outside and jogs to the corner where there's usually a cab or three waiting. He gets in one and recites Sonny's address to the cabbie, promising him triple if he gets him there in fifteen minutes. The whole time, he hears Carmen typing.

"Okay," Carmen says as the cabbie screeches away from the curb, "I found a delivery service. I'll put it on your personal credit card. I've got a cart started with eggs, bread, and milk. How much cooking do you actually think you'll be able to do?"

Rafael considers the last time he was with an Omega in heat. "Let's say none today, maybe a meal tomorrow. A full set of meals the day after."

"I'll add some cereal and sandwich meats. I'll get some canned soups as well as some protein shakes, and I'll put in some fish. It'll cook the fastest. I know you hate peas. Do you know if Carisi has allergies or preferences?"

"If it's green, he eats it," Rafael replies, remembering a conversation they once had as Rafael was picking peas out of a stir fry. "Broccoli. Green beans. No pre-made salads."

"I've heard his complaints about pre-made salads," Carmen says.

For the first time since Sonny called, Rafael feels himself relax. "I want to state for the record that this is above and beyond even for our standards, and I can't thank you enough."

"You're welcome," Carmen answers. "I'm scheduling the delivery for six o'clock. Do you need me to call Benson?"

"Not if she's cc'ed on the email."

"She is."

"No reason to tell her anything else."

"Copy that," Carmen says. "Send word if you need anything else from me."

"I will. Thank you."

Carmen hangs up, and Rafael sends a text to Sonny.

 **Rafael:** Five minutes from your place. Turn on voice recognition. I need to evaluate if you can still consent. 

**Sonny:** Consent is legally revoked at six hours.

 **Rafael:** Good start. But you know it varies. I talked to Ken to get an idea of where your informed consent might waver. 

**Sonny:** I need you to fuck me. 

Rafael nearly drops his phone. He grits his teeth and focuses on what's important.

 **Rafael:** Name the last four elected DA's for New York City starting with the oldest. 

Rafael watches the bubbles trip up and down their little space as he waits for Sonny to answer.

 **Sonny:** Adam Schiff  
**Sonny:** Nora Levin  
**Sonny:** Arthur Branch.  
**Sonny:** Jack McCoy

Rafael breathes a sigh of relief as the cabbie cuts through two lanes of traffic to take the final corner before Sonny's block. 

**Rafael:** Who wrote the opinion and who wrote the concurrences in Whalen v. Roe, 1976-1977?

"Here!" the cabbie says. 

Rafael passes him his credit card and watches him punch in the price on the meter. Rafael tips him quadruple the rate and takes back his card before grabbing his bag and stepping out of the cab. 

**Sonny:** Opinion: Stevens. Concurrence: Brennan and Stewart  
**Sonny:** I spoke those colons so they'd show up. I'm in my right mind.

Rafael lets himself in the main door of the building with his spare key.

 **Rafael:** So far, yes. Tell me how to make bolognese. 

The lobby is empty, and the elevator is waiting. Rafael presses the button for five and looks at his phone. The bubbles are going again. They're still there when he gets off the elevator and walks to Sonny's door. He opens the locks with his other spare keys.

"Sonny?" He calls when he steps inside. The entire apartment is drenched in Sonny's scent. Rafael has to press himself against the door to keep from ripping off his own clothes and running directly into the bedroom.

"Red wine!" Sonny yells. "Rafael. Please. I can. You need red wine. And ground beef. And red sauce. And black pepper. And--"

Rafael drops his bag and stalks down the hall. He keeps his Alpha instinct tamped down hard as he approaches the open bedroom door.

Sonny's on the bed, the sheets and blankets covered with sweat and slick. His dick looks impossibly harder than when Sonny sent the picture. His pupils are blown, his lips swollen from biting. He has his phone in one hand, and the other is splayed out on the bed. There's no toy in his ass. "When you texted," Sonny closes his eyes and breathes in hard, and Rafael knows he's being scented. "I took it out. When you texted. I'm still. I can still say yes or no. I can. I swear. I took it out to show you."

Rafael skins out of his shirt and trips out of his shoes and manages to get out of his jeans without falling on his face. He climbs onto the bed, pushing Sonny's legs as wide as they'll go. 

"Please," Sonny begs. "Please, Rafael."

Rafael holds himself still as his breath shivers from his chest. He looks up Sonny's body and meets his eyes. He wants to press his dick into the filthy wetness of Sonny's ass and fuck him until he forgets his own name. He wants to bury his face in Sonny's groin and inhale his scent as it wraps around him. He wants to leave his scent on Sonny's thighs and over his nipples and on his neck where other Alphas will smell it and know. The cinnamon-sharpness of Sonny mixed with the hot blend of his own spicy undertone. 

He wants. He wants. He wants. 

"Sonny," Rafael grits out. He wraps Sonny's legs around his waist and leans over.

"Rafael. Please. I need--"

"Shhh," Rafael soothes. "I will. I promise." He cups Sonny's face in both hands and holds him still. "Just, before the heat takes you, I want you to know that I'll always do this for you, okay? You don't have to call Ken or someone else. If you want me here, I'll be here. For your heats, for whenever. However you want me, I'm here."

Sonny tips back his head and keens. He rubs his palms along Rafael's ribs, marking him with his scent. "Yes. Fuck. Holy shit. Yes. Please. Always. I--god, I smelled you last night, and it felt so good, Rafael. I wanted to bury myself in it. And you talked about caring for someone during the heat, and I just. Fuck. Please. I need--"

"Easy, easy," Rafael says to quiet Sonny down. He runs his hands up and down Sonny's chest, tweaks his nipples lightly, and then licks into Sonny's mouth when Sonny gasps in pleasure. Rafael keeps kissing him as he reaches down and pushes Sonny's legs up and open. He bites lightly at Sonny's bottom lip as he rubs he head of his dick against the dripping wetness of Sonny's hole. 

"Please," Sonny whines against Rafael's mouth. 

Rafael nudges his hips and lets the slick and the pull slide him in. Sonny throws back his head and claws at the sheets. Rafael pulls up his hands so he can intertwine their fingers. "Put your legs back around me," Rafael says. "Help me fuck you."

Sonny wraps his legs around Rafael's waist like a vise, thrusting up his hips as hard and fast as he can. His grip on Rafael's hands is brutal, and Rafael drinks in his abandon, his desperation. He groans and tries to press himself up harder. 

Rafael lets go of his hands and grips Sonny by the hips, holding him in place as he fucks into him. "Like that?" he asks. "Is that what you couldn't get?"

"Yes. God. Fuck. Fuck. Your dick. Fuck. Rafael. I need. Keep doing. Please. God. Fuck. Please." 

Rafael keeps fucking in hard. He presses his fingers more firmly into Sonny's hips. He watches the way Sonny's cock bounces against his stomach, and he shifts his weight so he can take Sonny in hand. His dick is scorching, the veins in sharp relief against the shaft. Rafael jerks him off as hard as he's fucking him, and Sonny keens and squeezes his thighs, and thrashes his head back and forth, and he comes. 

It's an absolute perfect mess. Sonny comes all over Rafael's hand and his own chest. Slick runs from his hole and coats Rafael's thighs, and just as Sonny begins to shiver and come down from his orgams, Rafael feels his balls tighten and his release hit, and he slams in as hard as he can as the knot starts to swell. 

Sonny screams and scrabbles for Rafael with both hands. Rafael pulls him upright and wraps his arms around Sonny's torso as he settles Sonny on his lap, and Sonny sinks further onto his knot and groans brokenly.

Rafael buries his face in Sonny's neck and breathes him in. The acrid edge of his sweat does nothing to diminish his true scent. Rafael rubs his nose back and forth, taking it in. He runs his hands up and down Sonny's back as Sonny whimpers and shifts in Rafael's lap, sighing in pleasure each time he readjusts and feels the knot. 

"Tell me where you are," Rafael says quietly. No matter where they are in heat, Omegas have a window after every orgasm where they're aware of their surroundings. 

"In my bed," Sonny breathes against Rafael's neck, drinking in his scent. "I called you and begged you for help." He sits up and lifts Rafael's face from his neck so he can look him in the eyes. "You called Ken to make sure I could consent." 

"Yes," Rafael replies. His last concern that he's tricked or hurt Sonny disappears from his mind. 

"And you want me," Sonny adds. He strokes his fingers through Rafael's hair. "And I want you."

"You do?"

"For a long time." Sonny looks into Rafael's eyes again and pauses at the question there. "What?"

"For a long time?" Rafael repeats. "How long?"

Sonny shrugs, languid and loose post-orgasm. "I don't know. Awhile."

"You never said anything."

"Neither did you. I didn't want to make it weird."

Rafael laughs. He can't help it. This beautiful, ridiculous man. Sonny watches him laugh with a contented smile on his face. 

"We got here," Sonny says, shifting in Rafael's lap with purpose now. Rafael's knot is shrinking, and Sonny's scent is rising fresh in the room. "We can compare notes later."

Rafael lays Sonny back out on the bed and pulls out. He stretches out beside Sonny and traces the line of him from neck to hip. "That sounds good." He leans down and plants a sucking kiss on Sonny's clavicle, reminds himself to make a proper mark there later. Sonny gasps and arches, and Rafael isn't surprised to look up and find his pupils blown. "You promised to ride me and cover me in slick," Rafael says. 

Sonny scrambles to straddle him, breath coming fast and uneven as he jacks Rafael to hardness. "You're my Alpha," Sonny says. "You're my Alpha, and you're going to take care of me, and every heat I ever have after this is yours."

Rafael knows Sonny's on the edge of slipping into the long part of his heat. This is Sonny's last chance to confirm what he wants, and Rafael feels like his entire body is singing. Sonny's scent thickens around them, and Rafael runs his hands up down Sonny's torso as Sonny positions Rafael's dick so he can ride it. "Your Alpha," Rafael agrees and moans when Sonny slides down his shaft and meets him halfway for an open-mouthed kiss that tastes like them both.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was going to be single chapter, but the thirst for A/B/O is strong, so I've decided to add onto the story as a whole. This answers MOST of the prompts I got for "more A/B/O," but it is not the be-all, end-all of the story. There's at least one more chapter planned.

Sonny rocks down hard against Rafael's hips and whines a high-pitched note as he pulls up to do it again. 

"Easy," Rafael whispers, reaching to grab Sonny's waist. "You don't--" He gasps when Sonny slaps his hands down on his chest and digs his nails in just above Rafael's nipples. 

"Don't move," Sonny hisses. He snaps his hips down again, arching his back and he throws back his head and grinds. "Don't move."

It turns into a repeated whisper, one Rafael is fairly certain Sonny doesn't even know he's saying. But Rafael listens to it and holds himself still, lets Sonny fuck down onto him hard and fast, slick soaking Rafael's thighs and glistening in sharp reflection every time Sonny lifts up to slam down hard again. His hands stay on Rafael's chest, making certain Rafael can't get free. Rafael reaches up and grabs Sonny's wrists. Sonny's eyes open, and he stares at Rafael, daring him to try and throw him off with a hazy stare. 

"I'm not going anywhere," Rafael says, and he tightens his grip. Sonny groans and starts moving faster, the wet slap of their skin getting louder in the room. "You've got me," Rafael says. "Show me how much you like it." 

Sonny keens and grinds hard, barely lifting himself when he moves up again. He yanks his hands from Rafael's chest and throws his arms behind him, grabbing tight at Rafael's thighs. His grip is tenuous; Rafael's thighs are so slick he can't get a good hold. It knocks him off-rhythm, causes him to list to one side. He overcorrects and nearly topples the other way. Rafael makes a new grab and gets him by the hips, helping him stay in place as he clenches on Rafael's cock. Rafael stays still until he simply can't, fucking up hard into Sonny two, three, four times before he comes and knots. 

"Knooot," Sonny hums, pressing as hard as he can on Rafael's dick, whimpering when the knot fills him up. "Knot. Knot. Knot."

Rafael can barely breathe, but he manages to get one shaky hand around Sonny's dick and jerk him off until he comes all over Rafael's chest. Sonny's passive in his orgasm, heavy-lidded and heavier-limbed, but holding himself upright until Rafael pulls himself up to meet him, keeping Sonny in his lap like before. 

"Where are you?" Rafael whispers into his ear.

"On your dick," Sonny replies, his accompanying giggle giddy and as fucked-out sounding as his voice. "Right on your dick."

Rafael can't help but laugh along with him. He turns Sonny's head so he can kiss him on the mouth, loving the tiny, kittenish licks Sonny gives his lower lip. "I need to get you water," Rafael says. 

Sonny groans and throws his arms around Rafael's neck. "No. Stay here. Knot."

"I won't get up until it goes down, but you need water."

"I'm fine," Sonny whines. He runs his fingers through Rafael's hair. "Stay here."

"Until the knot goes down," Rafael replies. He lifts one hand from Sonny's hip and brings it up with his wrist bared. "Smell me," Rafael says. 

Sonny presses his nose into Rafael's wrist and his palm and his whole body relaxes. "Alpha," Sonny murmurs, nosing against Rafael's hand. "My Alpha."

"Your Alpha," Rafael agrees. "Which means I have to take care of you." 

Sonny opens his eyes lazily. He gives Rafael a soft, sweet smile and nuzzles his hand once more. "Take care of me."

"Exactly." Rafael moves his arm so he's cupping the back of Sonny's head. He pulls him so their foreheads are touching. Sonny's pupils are almost-normal, but Rafael knows they won't stay that way for long. "When I let go to get you water, I want you to lie on your stomach and wait for me. Can you do that?"

Sonny nods. "I can," he says. 

"Good. Anything else you need from me while I've still got you mostly here?"

Sonny thinks, playing with the hairs at the nape of Rafael's neck. "Snack." 

"What do you have?"

"Protein bars."

"Where?"

"Cupboard above the stove." 

"Okay." Rafael shifts, feeling his knot start to shrink. "Easy," he murmurs when Sonny whines and presses hard against him. "Come on, on your stomach." Rafael pulls out slowly and helps Sonny down to the mattress. He pushes Sonny's hair out of his face and checks his pupils. They're blowing wide again. "You're about to go full in," Rafael says. "I'm here, okay? I've got you."

Sonny nods and murmurs and clenches his hands as he rubs himself against the sheets. "Yes," he gets out, but Rafael can tell he doesn't really know what he said. 

"Stay put," Rafael says and slowly leaves the room. He walks into the kitchen and fills a glass with water. He drains it in three gulps, then fills it again. He gets a second glass and fills it as well, then find the protein bars where Sonny said they would be and brings two back to the bedroom. Sonny's rutting lightly against the sheets, eyes closed until Rafael sits on the edge of the bed. 

"Turn," Rafael says, and gets Sonny onto his side. He leans against Sonny's abdomen so Sonny won't flop back over. "Drink," Rafael says and feeds Sonny sips of water. "Good." He runs a hand up and down Sonny's arm, feeling the goosebumps settle at his touch. "So good," Rafael says, setting the water glass aside. He opens a protein bar and breaks it in half, holding it out. Sonny eats in in four bites, clearly on autopilot. Rafael eats the other half and shifts Sonny onto his stomach again, standing up from the bed as he does so.

"Shhh," Rafael says when Sonny whines and tries to see where he's going. "I'm right here." He places a hand on Sonny's back, and Sonny quiets again. Rafael's Alpha instinct hums in approval. His Omega trusts him. His Omega knows he's safe. Rafael rides the victory of it as he kneels at the end of the bed and slides his hands up the back of Sonny's legs from his ankles. He presses his nose into the backs of Sonny's knees and breathes in his scent as he kisses there. He opens Sonny's legs and marks his inner thighs with his own scent. Sonny spreads his legs even wider, and Rafael's Alpha Instinct sparks hot and wanting. What a beautiful Omega he has, so ready, so willing. 

Rafael nips at Sonny's ass where it curves into his thigh. His entire backslide is covered in slick. Rafael licks up a bit. It tastes faintly like Sonny smells, citrus and cinnamon and vanilla. He grips Sonny's ass in both hands and spreads his cheeks wide. 

"Please," Sonny groans. He tries to lift up, but Rafael holds him in place. His Omega was beautiful before, marking up Rafael with his nails, holding him place and showing his strength and his power. But it's Rafael's turn now. To mark his Omega as an Alpha can, to hold his Omega down and fuck into him as fast or as slow or as hard as he wants. To cover his Omega in scent and bruises and scratches. 

Rafael drinks in the sight of Sonny below him, eyes closed and neck straining from trying not to move. There's no distress in his Omega, no curling away or kicking his feet. His hands are flat on the bed, biceps in sharp relief as he tries so hard to hold himself still. To be so good for his Alpha. 

Rafael takes this all in, pulls in a deep breath, and lets his instinct rise up and lead the way. He slides three fingers into Sonny and fucks him slow as he leans down and starts biting at his shoulders, working from the left to the right. He doesn't break the skin, just presses enough that he can see the reflection of his teeth when he releases. When he gets to the nape of Sonny's neck, he buries his face deep into his sweaty hair and breathes in hard. Sonny's scent fills him, and Rafael spends minutes there, smelling and kissing and nuzzling. Sonny writhes, and his hands clench, and he whimpers Rafael's name over and over. 

His Omega knows who he is. His Omega chose him. Rafael pulls away from Sonny's nape and presses his mouth hot and panting against Sonny's ear. "Never forget it's me," he says, the hard tone of his Alpha register sharp in the air. "It's always going to be me."

"Yes," Sonny whispers. "Rafael. Yes. Alpha. Yes." 

Rafael noses behind him ear and breathes him in one more time before dropping down to finish marking across Sonny's shoulders. When he reaches the curve of the right one, he slowly pulls back, one hand planted firm in the middle of Sonny's back. He pulls his fingers from Sonny's hole and rubs the head of his dick roughly against the ridged muscle. Sonny yelps and quivers from head to toe, and he does not try to rise up and meet him. 

Rafael's instinct preens at the control. Such a good Omega. "So good," Rafael murmurs, pressing his dick against the muscle again but not breeching. "You want it so much, don't you? Want my knot again. Want me to fuck you until you can't even talk. Until you can barely breathe. Want me to bruise you up and down so you can look at yourself and know you're claimed."

"Please," Sonny pants out. "Please." 

Rafael grabs Sonny under his hips and pulls him up so he's resting on Rafael's lap. Rafael adjusts his position and slowly presses the head of his dick into Sonny's entrance. He runs his hands from Sonny's ass to his shoulders, then back down. 

When he repeats the gesture, Sonny shifts his shoulders back so Rafael's palms slide over them. Rafael pauses, digging his fingers in. Sonny groans and drops his head forward, the submission of the gesture so beautiful, Rafael can't breathe for a moment. His Alpha instinct is a hot pulse of pleasure through his whole body. His beautiful Omega asking for what he wants even when he can't find words. 

Rafael grips harder at Sonny's shoulders and slides the rest of the way in on one stroke. Sonny doesn't make a noise, just throws his head back with his mouth wide open and eyes fluttering shut.

"You're so fucking beautiful," Rafael murmurs, and he holds Sonny up by his shoulders while he fucks in, slow and deep, over and over. Sonny rolls his head back and forth as he rides the feeling of getting fucked deep and being held in place. Rafael watches him for signs of distress or discomfort, but Sonny shows none. He drops his head and moans continuously as Rafael keeps moving, carefully adjusting his pace so it's a little faster, a little harder, then a bit more, a bit more. Sonny gasps and presses his forehead to the sheets and can't get out more than the first half of Rafael's name. 

Rafael can feel his orgasm building, and he drops Sonny's shoulders so he can pull him up by his chest and finish with Sonny already in his lap, Sonny already sweaty and languid against his front, Sonny mouthing sloppy kisses at his neck and presenting his own neck so Rafael can choose a spot and mark him like an Alpha should. 

Rafael comes and sucks a mark the size of a half-dollar, and when he finally pulls away, he feels fuck-drunk and only mostly lucid. He feels Sonny hum against his throat, and presses his nose into Sonny's hair, letting his scent center him. 

"Where are you?" Sonny mumbles, laughter threading his voice, daring to tease Rafael in a moment of thrilling perfection. Rafael wants to live in this moment forever.

"Coming back," Rafael replies. He closes his eyes and sighs in appreciation when Sonny lifts his hands and covers Rafael's own on his chest. "I got lost in you."

"Hmm?" Sonny asks. 

"I got lost in you," Rafael repeats. "In your heat. Your scent. The feel of you." 

"Good," Sonny says. 

Rafael hums agreement into his hair and spreads his hands so Sonny can thread their fingers together. "You're going to slip under again soon. You need to drink more water."

"Just a minute," Sonny says. He presses back against Rafael and goes boneless against him when he's sure Rafael's got him. "Give me a minute."

"Okay," Rafael agrees, and he presses a light kiss to the mark he's left on Sonny's neck. 

*

Rafael loses the day to Sonny's body, Sonny's need, making sure Sonny stays hydrated and eats a little something and is sated again and again and again. 

Sometime in the mid-evening, Rafael holds Sonny's face in his hands and watches as his pupils stay steady. Sonny's scent saturates the room, but there's no fresh wave coming out to cover what's already there. Rafael's knot is fully gone, and Sonny lies back against the wrecked sheets and watches him, his gaze the sharpest it's been all day. 

"I've always had a short heat," Sonny says before Rafael can ask. "Usually just the day."

"That's good to know." Rafael replies. 

"I've had a couple of Alphas who haven't liked it." Sonny's gaze slides away from Rafael, focusing on some middle point in the room. "They thought every Omega went a hard forty-eight."

Rafael slides his hands up and down Sonny's rib cage. He doesn't mention he can feel how much tension Sonny's suddenly carrying. "It's their own fault for not paying attention to science. Thinking every Omega has a two-day heat is like saying the clitoris isn't a real thing."

Sonny blinks, then snorts a laugh. He holds up his arms, and Rafael happily lays down and lets Sonny hold him. "I remember our conversation after you got here," Sonny says quietly. 

"Which one?"

"About doing this every time. I just...I know Alphas don't babble like Omegas, but I just need to--" Sonny shuts his mouth so hard, Rafael hears his teeth click.

Rafael levers himself up on his forearms so Sonny can see his face. "I meant it," he says. "Sonny…" He licks the corner of his mouth and makes himself push the words out. "I mean it about being here for your heats, but also, just...if you want me here otherwise."

"Otherwise?" Sonny asks, and it's only the way his eyes flare with suppressed hope that keeps Rafael from accusing him of teasing him. 

"You called me your Alpha. I'd be willing to fit the role...whenever." 

"Whenever," Sonny says, a smirk trying to catch hold on his mouth. "How eloquent."

"Give me a break. I fucked you seven times today."

"No wonder your oratory skills are legendary."

"I'm not the one who forgot how to form sentences."

"Eh, that's from the heat. I do that with everyone." 

Rafael's Alpha instinct hits him so hard he sees white. "No," he snaps, and he presses his nose and mouth against Sonny's neck. "No, you don't." Sonny lets out a small, surprised, whimper, and Rafael pulls away sharply. "Shit," he mutters. "Sonny, I'm sorry. I didn't--"

"That was a good sound," Sonny interrupts. "I've never…" He stares at Rafael, and the suppressed hope flashes full and open across his face. "Fuck, you really mean it, don't you? You and me and just...everything."

"I should have said something months ago. Hell, maybe years ago. I don't know. But our friendship," Rafael pauses and cups Sonny's jaw. "Our friendship snuck up on me, and by the time I realized it had happened, I was already three steps ahead and in love, but I didn't want to rush, and then, I just never felt you wanted to go further, and I wasn't going to take the chance of making things awkward by telling you."

"You're an idiot," Sonny says, and he cups Rafael's jaw in a mirror pose. "But I'm an idiot, too. I should have said something. I mean, of the two of us, I'm way more comfortable getting caught with my foot in my mouth."

"No," Rafael says. "It's not your fault I didn't say something. It's not your fault I didn't ask."

"And it's not your fault for me, either," Sonny says. "Let's agree that we got here, and that's the part that matters."

"Done," Rafael says. He leans in and kisses Sonny. It's different from the heat kisses. It's softer, more intent. Sonny's back in his own head, and he kisses with an unbridled happiness that makes Rafael smile against his mouth. 

"Okay, this is great," Sonny says when they slowly break away from each other, "but I am covered in self-lube and fucking starving." 

Rafael laughs, a sharp crack of joy that seems to radiate from the center of himself. He slowly rolls off of Sonny and stands, then helps Sonny off the bed. "I had Carmen do me a favor and get some groceries delivered. They should be outside your door right now. Get in the shower. I'm going to bring you some juice." 

Sonny scrunches up his face. "Wait. Carmen knows you spent the whole day fucking my heat out of me?" 

"Technically, no, and if you've learned anything from me in the past few years, you should know a technical no is a very powerful tool."

"Oh my god, Carmen knows we fucked," Sonny mutters with great melodrama as he stumbles to the bathroom. "Siri, how do you drown yourself in the shower?"

"Your phone is too far away to hear you," Rafael says over the sound of the water starting. He's smiling as he gets into his overnight bag and takes out clean pajama bottoms. He slips them on and decides, after a moment's pause, to steal one of Sonny's t-shirts. He finds one that is obviously a size or two too big and slips it on. It smells like detergent and Sonny, and Rafael presses his nose into the collar as he opens the front door. 

There are three boxes of groceries, one marked as cold food. He carries them into the kitchen and opens them, finding the juice and pouring a glass before he does anything else. He walks into the bathroom and puts the glass on the counter. 

"What do you want to eat?" 

"Food," Sonny answers. "Whatever's quickest."

"There's cereal and protein shakes, or I can make something hot."

"Cereal's good," Sonny replies. "What kind?"

"Cornflakes and Frosted Mini Wheats."

"Giant bowl of the second." 

"Are you six?"

"Hey, I lost a variety of nutrients, including sugar."

"Yeah, yeah," Rafael grouses as he leaves the bathroom. He finds the bowls and pours cornflakes for himself. He leaves Sonny's full bowl on the counter and takes his own plus a protein shake over to the small table in front of the kitchen island. 

Sonny comes out of the bathroom two minutes later, wearing only a towel around his hips and chugging the last of his juice. He puts the glass in the sink, then picks up his cereal and sits down across from Rafael. "Thanks," he says as he loads up his spoon. 

"You're welcome," Rafael replies. They eat in silence, and Rafael starts to feel tired down to his bones. He looks at Sonny and reads the same exhaustion in the way he's barely propping himself up as he shovels food into his mouth. Rafael waits until Sonny's drunk the milk from his bowl before he stands and takes both their dishes to the sink. He runs water into the glass and into both bowls, then pours a new glass of water and brings it back to Sonny. "Drink," he says. "Then we'll go to bed."

Sonny nods in agreement and sips his water. Rafael can't help touching him lightly while he does so. He skirts his fingers across the bruises on Sonny's shoulder, then the mark on his neck. He lazily scratches Sonny's scalp for a moment and smiles when Sonny puts down his empty glass and pulls him in so he can rest his head against Rafael's stomach. 

"We can't fall asleep like this," Rafael says. 

"Speak for yourself," Sonny replies. He shifts and kisses Rafael through his shirt, then pauses, pulling away to get a good look at him. "That's my shirt." 

"I wanted to smell you," Rafael admits. Sonny's bright smile makes it worth it. "Come on, up," he says. "Hang up your towel and get into pajamas while I change the sheets."

"Fresh sheets," Sonny murmurs like it's a luxury. "I can't remember the last time I had fresh sheets right after a heat."

"Ken should have switched them for you," Rafael says, his Alpha instinct rising again. 

"Easy," Sonny replies, pulling Rafael close and kissing him quick. "Ken's an Alpha, but he wasn't _my_ Alpha. He did me a favor for a long time, but now I get to get spoiled."

Rafael bites back a sharp retort. Sonny clearly doesn't hold anything against how Ken acted during his heats, and it would be foolish for Rafael to do so. He wouldn't be standing here right now if it weren't for Ken. "I promised to take care of you," Rafael says. "I mean it." 

"Well, I'm enjoying it so far," Sonny replies, pushing lightly at Rafael to get him moving. "Sheets are on the top shelf of the bedroom closet. I like hospital corners. Sharp ones."

"I'll give you a sharp one," Rafael mutters to make Sonny laugh. It works. 

*

Rafael chooses dove grey sheets and matching pillowcases. He's glad to find a second comforter on the shelf. Every single linen on Sonny's bed is wrecked, and Rafael strips it all without care, bundling it and dumping it in the hamper without a second look. 

Sonny comes in just after Rafael's wrestled the fitted sheet into place. He chooses green flannel bottoms from his dresser and doesn't put on a shirt. He helps Rafael settle and tuck the top sheet and smiles as Rafael lays down the comforter and bullies him under it before changing the pillowcases. "I can put on pillowcases," Sonny says, lounging against the headboard with all his marks on display. 

Rafael takes in the bruises and the hickey, the faint lines from his fingernails scraping Sonny's chest. "Relax," Rafael tells him, tossing him a pillow so he'll lie down properly. "Let me do this."

They fall asleep curled around each other, Sonny the big spoon, his breath warm against Rafael's neck, Rafael tangling their fingers together as they drop off to sleep. 

*

Rafael wakes up to quiet swearing. He squints open his eyes and finds Sonny stretching, testing the limits of his body post-heat. "Did I hurt you?" Rafael asks.

"It's a good hurt," Sonny says as he arches his back and pulls back his toes. "I feel completely fucked out."

Rafael props himself up and watches the liquid way Sonny works his body. "Don't you always?"

"No. Ken got the job done, but we weren't really going for anything serious," Sonny replies. "I got off. He got off. I could have my heat with someone nearby, and that was sort of the whole thing."

Rafael hears himself growl but doesn't register he's moving until Sonny is facedown on the bed, and he's pulling at the waistband of the pajama bottoms. "That is _not_ the whole thing," he hisses. He pauses with Sonny's pajama bottoms halfway down his ass. "Shit," he mutters. "Sonny, I'm sorry. I didn't--"

"And he was sort of terrible at oral," Sonny interrupts, turning so Rafael can see he's smiling. "He never once sucked my dick. Did I mention? He wouldn't eat me out, either. He said there was a line to his helping, and it involved his mouth.." He licks his bottom lip and watches Rafael watch him. "I can smell you," Sonny says. "There's something mossy there that wasn't there before."

"You fucking tease," Rafael mutters. He yanks off Sonny's pajama bottoms while Sonny laughs. "Did I bloom at you?"

"Like a time-lapse movie," Sonny replies. "God, your jealousy smells amazing." He shivers and squirms when Rafael shoves his legs open and licks the curve of his ass. "I've never smelled it so sharp before. The other Alphas--"

"They were fools," Rafael says. He spreads Sonny's cheeks and licks into him with greed. "They lost their chance," he says as he pulls back, sucks at the bottom of Sonny's balls, and then dives back in. "Don't," he sucks at Sonny's hole, "deserve," he traces the shape of the pucker, "you," he massages Sonny's ass as he presses in hard again.

Now that Sonny's heat is over, he isn't leaking slick. It's only Rafael's mouth that's making him wet, and he eats Sonny out until his own drool is dribbling down his chin. Sonny presses against his mouth and grinds against his face and swears in an unstoppable roll of filth as Rafael tongue fucks him and starts to jack him off. 

"Your mouth," Sonny groans, trying to twist around and collapsing back to the mattress when Rafael presses his thumb next to his tongue. "Fuck. I want to come in your mouth."

Rafael flips him over and licks a stripe up Sonny's dick before swallowing him down. There's no finesse, just hot, hard suction and his palms hard on Sonny's thighs. Sonny shouts and swears and comes down Rafael's throat. Rafael swallows and drops to the mattress, his face on Sonny's thigh, the damp warmth of his breath ghosting Sonny's balls. 

Sonny wriggles out from under Rafael and shimmies down the bed so they're eye to eye. He touches Rafael's dick with feathery fingers. "Can I?"

"Please," Rafael groans.

Sonny grips him and experiments for a moment, squeezing, then releasing, then changing the angle. Rafael sucks in a hard breath when Sonny runs his thumb up the thick vein of his shaft, and Sonny grins in triumph as he jerks off Rafael until Rafael comes in his hand. "Fuck me up, you're beautiful."

Rafael hums in acknowledgement and pulls Sonny close when Sonny noses at his collarbone. "I'm not alway so insistent," Rafael says against his hair. "I've never...it matters to me how Ken treated you. As an Alpha, I mean."

"I know," Sonny says. 

"It sounds like it was fine," Rafael continues. "But it wasn't good enough for you." He meets Sonny's gaze when Sonny lifts his head. 

"I've got you now," Sonny replies. "Who gives a fuck what came before?"

Rafael chuckles and pulls Sonny in tight. "I'll try to remember that." 

*

They get out of bed a few minutes later. Sonny shoves Rafael towards the shower, promising he can get breakfast together for the both of them. Rafael showers and finds mouthwash before he finds a spare toothbrush. He swishes it in his mouth and spits it out. He's pulling his pajama bottoms back on when there's a sharp uptick in his nerves. He throws open the door to the bathroom and stalks down the short hall to the main room of the apartment. His nostrils flare wide. He gets a scent of ocean salt and damp grass. Ken's standing in Sonny's living room, looking past Sonny and staring at Rafael, his own nostrils flared at the sight of him. 

"Stand down, both of you," Sonny says with a sharp edge in his voice.

Rafael rolls his weight to his back foot, hands loose but ready to clench at his sides. His Omega is a strong. His Omega is a brawler. It's no problem to stand back and let him control what's going on. 

"Ken, seriously, tone it down. You might as well piss on my rug if you're gonna scent like that."

The smell of ocean salt and damp grass fades quickly, no new layers of it pouring into the room. Ken gives Sonny a sheepish look, then passes the same to Rafael. "Sorry," he says to Rafael, then he looks at Sonny. "Sorry."

"No problem," Sonny says like the room isn't full to bursting with competing Alpha scent. "I really appreciate you swinging by to check in. Your mom doing okay?"

"Yeah, she's good. They're gonna get her on one of those scooters, they said. They want her as mobile as possible."

"Man, those scooters are a godsend," Sonny says as he steps close to Rafael and slides a hand up his back. Rafael's Alpha instinct cools to a mellow warmth. His Omega is safe. This Alpha is not a threat. His Omega has made his choice. "When my Nonna broke her ankle and they handed her that scooter, I'm pretty sure the whole family breathed easier. None of us were wanting to deal with her on crutches."

"Right?" Ken says. He gives Sonny an easy, friendly grin, and then he nods at Rafael. "Anyway, I'll get out of here. We should all grab lunch soon."

"I'll text you," Sonny says. He steps away from Rafael to lead Ken to the door. 

"Ken," Rafael says. 

Ken meets his gaze with ease, no jealousy, no challenge. "Rafael?" he asks. 

"Sorry I tried to charge you, and thanks for your help yesterday."

Ken laughs. "Glad to help." He flashes a grin at Sonny, then looks at Rafael again. "Honestly, I've been hearing about you for awhile. I think you two will be good for each other."

"Bye, Ken," Sonny says in a half-falsetto as he pushes Ken between the shoulderblades. "Leave now."

"Oh, come on, he's already fucked you. I think you can admit--"

"Don't fall down the stairs!" Sonny yells to drown him out as he literally shoves Ken out the door and slams it behind him. He turns on his heel and eyes Rafael. "I think I should explain--"

"Rita can give you an itemized list about what I like best about you," Rafael interrupts, not wanting to see Sonny nervous. "She made a bingo card."

Sonny stares, then laughs, then walks over to Rafael and wraps him in a hug. "Will she let me see it?"

"She will be _delighted_ to let you see it."

"Awesome," Sonny says. He dips his head and meets Rafael for a kiss. "Sit down," he says. "I'm making you breakfast."

"You just had a heat."

Sonny waves a hand to dismiss the argument. "Which means I don't take orders from you anymore. You want breakfast, you'll sit down and shut up."

Rafael laughs and mouths softly at the mark on Sonny's neck. Sonny squirms and pants out a sharp giggle. "I'll sit down and shut up," Rafael says. 

"Good boy," Sonny replies and presses a kiss to his mouth before he shoves Rafael lightly towards a chair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Self-betaed. Lemme know if I dropped a vowel.


	3. Chapter 3

The first thing Sonny does in the kitchen is make coffee. While it's percolating, he reviews all the food Carmen had delivered and makes an appreciate noise. "There's a lot of good stuff here. We could hole up for a week and barely make a dent."

"Don't tempt me," Rafael says from the table. He can't stop watching Sonny pad around his kitchen, the light from the window next to the table making him glow around the edges. 

Sonny grins at him and pulls out a carton of eggs and a variety of vegetables. He sets everything on the counter then reaches back into the fridge, farther back than anything Rafael had put in there. "Knew it!" Sonny says, turning and holding up a package of sausage. "I'm thinking a big scramble. Eggs, veggies, the sausage for protein. Toast on the side, and I can slice up some fruit."

"Are you giving me options or telling me how it's going to be?" Rafael asks as he stands and walks to the coffee pot. Sonny reaches into the cupboard next to the fridge and pulls out two mugs, placing them so Rafael can pour for them both.

"Well, I was going to give you options, but you had to be snarky," Sonny replies. 

Rafael smiles and pours their coffee. There's a glass bowl of sugar cubes next to the pot, and Rafael drops two into the green mug and slides it closer to Sonny while keeping the yellow mug for himself. 

"Thanks," Sonny says He blows on the coffee and takes a careful sip. "Honestly, though, if you'd rather has something else, I can just do eggs and bacon."

Rafael's Alpha instinct goes warm with contentment. His Omega wants him happy and wants his opinion. He reaches out a hand without thinking, and Sonny meets him halfway. Rafael pulls Sonny's hand to his mouth and presses a kiss to his knuckles. "The scramble sounds amazing."

"Just wait," Sonny says with a grin. He leans across the island and presses a kiss to Rafael's cheek, pausing to nuzzle against his nose as he pulls away, his scent trailing behind. 

Rafael breathes it in. His breath stutters when Sonny turns their joined hands and presses a kiss to the inside of Rafael's wrist. He breathes in Rafael's scent like it's everything he's ever wanted, and then he releases Rafael's hand so he can pull a pan from a low cupboard. 

"I don't know how you want to do things," Sonny says, his voice echoing into the cupboard, his back to Rafael, "but I have no shame in telling everyone immediately if you want. I can also wait."

"But you don't want to wait," Rafael replies.. 

Sonny stands up, a large frying pan in one hand. He answers Rafael with a shrug as he drizzles olive oil into the pan and sets the heat. 

Rafael watches him, knowing Sonny's tells from their long relationship. Sonny's shoulders are loose, but he doesn't stop twitching his fingers as he opens and closes a drawer to get a spatula, and then opens and closes another drawer to retrieve a cutting board and a knife. There's a slightly musty undertone to Sonny's scent now, like a room that's been closed up has just been opened to air out before someone comes to visit. It isn't fear. Rafael's scented Sonny's fear before. It's an icy coldness like putting your hand on a metal railing in winter. This is something else. Something less vicious than fear, but related. Apprehension, maybe  
"Are you afraid I'll say no to disclosure?" Rafael asks. The musty scent ticks up a notch. 

Sonny finishes slicing green onions and looks up. He cocks his head at Rafael. "Did you know your curiosity smells like caramel?"

Rafael laughs, surprised. "No," he says. "Really?"

"Yeah. And there's a sensation of it sort of…" Sonny lifts his left hand and wiggles his fingers with purpose, "like it's dribbling, getting into all the little places." He smiles, soft and intimate. "Wow."

"What is it?" Rafael asks. He's not certain if Sonny is avoiding his question or not, but he really is curious about all the parts of Sonny he doesn't know. 

"I've never...I mean, you know how it is. If you're friends with someone, you can pick up the ways their scent changes, right? Like, Amanda gets this cheap cigar undertone when she's pissed off, and Fin has this peppery smell when he's really sad for a victim, but I've never…" He looks down at the green onions he's already chopped and pushes them to one side of the board. The musty smell rises again. 

Nervous, Rafael realizes. But why? Deep scenting like what they're doing is part of who they are to each other now. When an Alpha and an Omega have sex during a heat and there's a large enough emotional bond, they can pick up each other's underscents and mood alterations easily. Why would Sonny....

Oh. 

Rafael takes a sip of his coffee. Sonny keeps looking down at the cutting board, turning a head of broccoli over again and again like he doesn't know what to do with it. "You've never smelled an Alpha's underscents, have you?" Rafael asks. "I mean, like this. Romantically."

Sonny looks up. The musty smell whips around the room, then settles hard, like Sonny is intentionally turning it off. "No, I haven't," he says, his voice clear, his chin jutted out in defiance. He's decided he won't be embarrassed. 

What a strong Omega, Rafael's Alpha instinct purrs. Look at him, standing straight and proud, refusing to be ashamed about never having known the underscents of other Alphas he's been with sexually.

"You can't tell me you've never been in love before," Rafael says quietly. "Were you with Betas?"

"No. It's always been Alphas, romantically, I just…" He shrugs, then places the knife on the cutting board so both hands are free. He puts his hands on his hips and looks down again. "I have a short heat, and I don't pick up underscents easily, at least not with romantic partners." His shoulders shift, sharpening for a moment before drooping. 

Rafael stands and walks around the island. He pulls Sonny in tight and pulls his head down so he can whisper in Sonny's ear. "It's different for everyone."

Sonny heaves a breath and whispers against Rafael's shoulder. "I know, but there are some expectations I've never met, and it's led to...stuff."

"You don't have to tell me who hurt you," Rafael says, though his Alpha instinct is hissing for revenge. "But, when you say 'stuff,' they didn't force you, did they?"

Sonny's head jerks up. He stares at Rafael for a moment. "What?! No! Shit! No!" He grips tight at Rafael's biceps. "I get why you would think that. I mean, Alphas claiming right to scent on an Omega who isn't into them is like, what, ten percent of our cases?"

"Seven," Rafael replies automatically. 

"But that's not what happened to me. It was more...teasing that wasn't actually teasing. The guys I was with, they tried to be okay with the fact I couldn't pick up on their underscents after we'd had heat sex, but it bothered them. I could see it. And I get it. I mean, why would you want a partner who couldn't read you like you're supposed to be read?"

"No one's 'supposed' to be anything," Rafael replies. "Those are antiquated ideas about Alpha and Omega relationships, and they're bullshit."

Sonny gives Rafael a small smile and presses a kiss to his forehead. He shoves Rafael lightly in the chest and watches him sit down again before he starts cutting through the broccoli. "I agree they're antiquated, but I'm not sure it's bullshit. I mean, you were pretty antiquated when talking about what you should be doing as my Alpha during a heat."

Rafael rolls his eyes. "I care about you. I want to take care of you."

"Yeah, but you know Omega's don't need to get bossed around like you bossed me around. Our bodies are built to handle the heat. I might have gotten a little dehydrated, but I would have been just fine to wait out the heat before I ate or drank again. You could have just stayed in bed with me the entire time."

"You aren't seriously telling me you'd prefer me to ignore the fact that you're burning through calories like crazy during a heat."

"Of course not," Sonny says. He glances at Rafael, and his eyes are all warmth. "I really enjoyed it. I've always liked having an Alpha who takes care of me that way. But it _is_ a pretty old-fashioned view on Omegas as poor, helpless creatures who can't even feed themselves. But, like I said, I enjoyed it. I look forward to you taking care of me like that. In the same way I think my other Alphas wanted to enjoy me being able to scent out how they were feeling."

Rafael thinks about that as he sips his coffee. "Can you underscent on Alphas you're just friends with?"

"Yeah. I can pick up Liv's mood in no time."

"But until today, you couldn't underscent me?"

Sonny shakes his head. "No, but I've also been sort of stupidly in love with you for a long time." The musty scent creeps up like kudzu. 

"Your nervousness smells like a dusty room," Rafael says. "I didn't know that until today."

Sonny looks up. "Really?"

"Yeah." 

Sonny stares across the room at nothing. "Your jealousy, the mossy smell, I didn't even think about the fact that I _could_ smell it this morning. It just felt…"

"It feels good," Rafael says. "Everything right now, with you, it feels good."

"Yeah," Sonny agrees. He smiles and looks back down at his vegetables. "It feels really good."

"And even if you couldn't pick up my underscents, I wouldn't care," Rafael adds because he needs to. "You've been reading my moods like they're written above my head for as long as we've known each other."

Sonny chuckles. "That's true." He dumps the broccoli into the pan and pushes it around for a moment with the spatula. "My first Alpha, his name was Leonard. All I could ever get off him was his major scent. He called me a freak and claimed I didn't love him."

"Do you have his number?"

Sonny slides Rafael a sharp look. "Easy," he says. "I was seventeen. The hurt is long-healed. You don't need to break his arm."

"Says you," Rafael grouses just to make Sonny laugh. 

"Anyway," Sonny says, dragging out the word to pull Rafael back to his point. "I told my ma about it, and she told me that she _did_ believe I loved him and that just because I couldn't tell if his anger felt like dry grass or tasted like sour milk, that didn't mean I wasn't a good person. She said maybe God had made me so that I would know when I had met my true love because that would be the person I could underscent. I was such a kind boy, she said, maybe God had built in some protection for me and my heart."

"That's a nice theory," Rafael says, meaning it.

"I thought it was bullshit, but I never told Ma that. But…" Sonny turns and looks at Rafael full on. "But maybe she got it right."

"Sonny, you don't--"

"You said you loved me," Sonny interrupts. "This morning, you said you were three steps ahead and in love with me when you realized we had become friends. I've been in love with you for a long time, too. Everything that's happened in the last day? It's everything I've wanted for a long time. With you. The fact that I can underscent you? I feel like God's making sure I know you're the one."

Rafael can't breathe for a moment. He presses his palms against the counter to stop his hands shaking. His Alpha instinct is yelling at him to grab his Omega and refuse to let go, to hide him away from the world for awhile so they can just feel and know all of each other. He shudders in a breath and pushes off the counter, rounding it so he can meet Sonny halfway and kiss him until they're both breathless. 

"I don't have a suit here," Rafael says as they pant into each other's mouths. Sonny throws back his head and laughs, and Rafael licks at the mark on his neck. "That's not what I meant. I meant stay with me tonight. Bring a suit to my place. We'll ride in together tomorrow and disclose immediately."

"Yeah?" Sonny's face is a homing beacon, lit up to show Rafael where he needs to be. His scent weaves around them, a rough, plump texture brushing the roof of Rafael's mouth. 

"Your contentment feels like strawberries," Rafael says. 

"Yours burns like good scotch," Sonny replies, and it's Rafael's turn to laugh. 

"You'll stay at my place?" Rafael asks through his laugh.

"Where else would I be?" Sonny asks, and Rafael kisses him again because he can. Because they're here. Because whatever happens after this moment, it's the two of them together--An Alpha and his Omega--threading their scents and their lives and claiming each other again and again any way they can.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has been so happy with this story. It's been so great to see people enjoying me trying out an ABO set up. You're all so nice.

**Author's Note:**

> For a prompt fill on the Barisi Fiction Archive tumblr Wishlist.
> 
> Self-betaed at 4:00 AM after 1-1/2 martinis. Lemme know how I did!
> 
> First ABO.


End file.
